A/N: I know, some time without an update due to technical issues, then I give you these latest three all at once. I'll give you all time to read all the updates I've put up at last before I start adding any more.
On a more story-related note, in this chapter the Island of the Final Echo and the mysterious inhabitant mentioned before finally make their second appearance, along with many interesting suggestions.
As usual, enjoy.
Christmas Town
The snow was pushed aside around two areas, which in turn flashed white once, then faded to drop Roxas and Riku from the empty air into a snowbank with a thump, closely followed by two more thumps as nearby trees dropped their accumulated snow down after them.
There passed several moments before scrunching and scratching sounds finally revealed Roxas unburying himself from the snow, then right after that, Riku's accusing voice: "You missed."
"It's not as if it's a precise art, Riku."
"You were precise enough to get us into the lamp chamber in the Cave of Wonders, right beside the artefact's remains."
"Have you ever flown a Gummi ship Riku? Or looked at a map of the worlds and the lanes between them?"
"No," he admitted. "Originally, someone else handled getting me from world to world, then later on I started using dark corridors. But what do they have to do with getting around?"
"The world of Agrabah is fairly close to Wonderland, so I was able to place our arrival more accurately. Halloween Town is a lot further away from Agrabah though, so I had less accuracy. The only real exception is if I'm going to or from somewhere familiar, like the Arcology or the World that Never Was."
"This isn't Halloween Town, Roxas."
"I know. It's Christmas Town, which for some reason shares the same world as Halloween Town. There should be a tree with a pumpkin on it around here somewhere, we can use that to go to Halloween Town."
Riku got up, brushing the last of the snow off himself and looking speculatively down at the town in the valley below.
"Christmas Town, you say?"
"Yeah. I've never actually been here, but I know about it." Riku thought for a few moments, then wordlessly headed down into the valley. "The exit to Halloween town is back there," Roxas told him, catching up.
"I know. Sora once passed me some 'very best regards' from someone down there, and I'm going to find out if he made it up or not."
"What kind of 'someone'?"
Riku glanced over at him as he continued to power walk down the snowy trail and with a faint smile asked, "Do you go with Christmas and all the stuff with it, Roxas?"
"Not really." He saw Riku's expression then with a sigh went on, "Alright. Once only, and even then it was after Sora came to power. I got into the spirit of it enough to give a gift to certain people, and a few people returned the favour. But beyond that, no. Never."
"I think you might have to change your outlook on that when we meet the one who sent me the regards. Then we can go find the artefact's remains."
"And play with the Heartless," Roxas added. "I'm sure the Carrier Ghosts will be only too happy to see you."
"You get to deal with them," Riku told him. "Since you seem to think they're so easy to deal with."
The Necropolis
Sephiroth, it turned out, seemed to have been improved by death. He didn't seem to hold any grudges, and much of his ambitious impulses appeared to have been put to rest, making him a generally more sociable person to be around. The fact that he was dead didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.
Sora paused in his account of his run-ins with the Collective when Sand brought Mickey back to them, who in turn walked off with Sephiroth as the shade began to explain to him.
"I've got more bad news," Sand told Sora, left with him.
"How kind of you," Sora answered, rolling his eyes. "What's happened now?"
"It's not so much what happened as what we found out."
"It's about Seifer, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so. It seems he's our false Roxas. Internal Security finally managed to catch it on record. The location reading for Seifer just changed over to reading Roxas, and at the same time, the real Roxas was up in the Grey Area."
"I think I'm going to have to add a new alert to the system anytime anyone shows up more than once like that."
"They're already adding it. There's more though. We found evidence of tampering in the systems for detecting the Collective. A list of individuals it would ignore was somehow attached. The changes were also enacted by Seifer."
"Who was on the list?"
"All the visitors who went up with him to steal the Cornerstone, and..."
"And?" Sora prompted.
"Seifer himself."
"What? Are you telling me he's a member of the Collective?"
"We can't be certain, Sora. It may be a ruse, but it looks likely. I did tell one lie, and told Internal Security that it was your orders to have all files and reports on and by Seifer fully examined to see what else turned up."
"I'll let you off for that lie. Given the situation, it makes sense. Has anything fallen out of the files yet?"
"We've only learned two things. The medical records indicate that there's been no significant change in mental abilities during the entire time he's been in the Arcology. Since we know from Vexen's records that joining the Collective significantly increases the mental activity, it's a fair assumption that if Seifer is one of them, he joined them before he was ever part of the Arcology."
"That means... the Collective's had someone on the inside for all this time. He could have been behind my being taken originally... and more."
"We've got evidence enough to suggest that he was the real ringleader behind my rebellion as well. I thought I was giving the orders, but it turns out he was using the Collective's abilities to influence my choices."
Sora passed a hand over his eyes wearily. "I'm starting to wonder if he did the same to Sephiroth... or if we'll end up incriminating him for just about everything since I joined the Arcology."
"It's entirely possible, but we won't know until the records are fully examined."
"Did I happen to hear my name being mentioned?" Sephiroth asked, rejoining them with Mickey not far behind.
"Only in passing. I don't suppose you happen to know who's idea it was to have me brought into the Arcology, do you? Or what you did to me?"
"I believe Seifer reccommended you were brought in, nothing to do with me. As to what I did... that was entirely my own idea. I heard more than you think, Sora. The Collective made offers to me that just weren't in my interests. I ensured they wouldn't be able to snare me so easily. My actions were my own and to my own ends."
"I'm not sure if that's good or bad news."
"Don't worry about it then. You're ready to go the the Echo Islands, though you'll probably want to leave the Necropolis before you do. If nothing else to keep Sand from being a permanent resident."
"I haven't forgotten about him, don't worry. In fact... yes, you're coming with us Sand. You can port yourself to me no matter where I am, so you'll be my way of getting word to and from the Arcology."
"Don't be a stranger, Sora," Sephiroth told him. "Stop by again sometime."
"I hope you'll understand if I say I'd rather not. The dead give me the creeps."
Echo Islands
Island of the Final Echo
He woke to hear the harsh voice of the island's mayor and commander ordering their informal militia to stand firm.
The curtains were brushed aside just enough to see out and he saw why. A tide of creatures was coming across the single causeway that linked this isle to the Island of the Fifth Echo, and the only way to reach this island. At least, the only way that didn't involve getting attacked by the flash-storms that appeared at a moments notice to deter anyone trying to skip the other islands, disappearing again as soon as it's work was done. Even the residents had to obey the natural order, and travel through them in the proper order to reach any others.
Then he heard a second call, one that spoke only to him. It was the familiar voice that had guided him ever since his mother had left the Islands for good. His father now lived and worked on the Island of the Third Echo, and had done ever since he'd been old enough to take care of himself.
The call spoke only three words. It is time.
He nodded, tugging a grey shirt over his shoulders, then over his wings, ensuring they had free movement through the thin holes in the back of the shirt.
A quick change of pants to a cleaner, though still grey pair – he didn't want to give whoever was behind the voice a bad impression – and some simple sandals later, he slipped out the front door of his home, the home that had once belonged to his parents and had been in the family for generations.
The streets of the village, for it could only be called that, were deserted. Any time the residents were called on to defend the isle, people either answered the call, or stayed inside.
He glanced back toward the causeway once when he turned on to the main path, seeing the tide had nearly reached the gate that marked the entrance to the Island of the Final Echo.
The call spoke again: Hurry.
He nodded again, despite there being no one to see, leaped up on the thatched roof of a house nearby, unfolded his wings and with a second leap he glided effortlessly through the air toward the Temple of Light.
The Temple was a simple structure, the central Sanctuary of the Key was a squat, square building with a pointed, pyramid rooftop. An unbroken corridor ring had been built around it, the only entrance on the opposite side of the Sanctuary to the side of the Sanctuary's own entrance.
Around there were the large Temple gardens, dotted with other lesser, smaller shrines. Some of them were dedicated to beliefs or ideals, others were merely the residences of the sweepers. One, the largest of the shrines, belonged to the Temple's sole monk and attendant. Naturally, the monk had heard about the militia, and as was his duty, he stood firm at the massive gates of the walls that encircled the Temple gardens to protect the Temple.
Privately, he knew the ageing monk was not likely to achieve much against the creatures he'd seen coming, but knew to keep it to himself. To suggest one was not good enough was a deadly insult in the society here.
He dived down, then rose up sharply to gain height, flying easily over the tall walls to land in the gardens just outside the Sanctuary. His wings folded back away as he landed, still visible but furled up. Anyone looking at him from in front would never know he had them.
But everyone who saw him knew they were there. Everyone here had him. The boy the call had shown him, the one it called his brother... why did he not have them? He decided to ask the call if the chance arose as he made his way to the door he'd spent so long sat in front.
"I'm here," he murmured to the door in a voice that sounded more like a song, laying a hand on it. "Tell me what I have to do."
The door instead turned grey, then faded out to reveal the inside of the Sanctuary, a simple, cleanly grey chamber with no decorations or markings. The only contents were a simple, square stone, the edges of which rounded as if worked on by the weather, and upon it was a large key – about the same size as the blades handed out to the militia in times of need. He found himself calling it a keyblade without knowing why.
The teeth of the key showed the outline of a simple crown where the teeth were not, and the teeth, like the blade itself, was a shiny black. The handle was white, and the grip inside that handle was a bright red.
The call came once more: You are my chosen. Take me – wield me against the creatures of Darkness that come to plague this island. My powers are as yours, and yours are enhanced by mine. Surrender me up to none, and allow none to reach the door you will see beyond me.
He warily approached the keyblade, then reached out to take it. As he did so, the wall opposite blazed a white light, blinding him. When it cleared, a wooden door had appeared on it, with the outline of a heart near the top, and a large keyhole near the bottom.
"Where does it lead?" he asked, then found he knew. The knowledge the keyblade had told him about became his own knowledge, a flood of new information. "The heart of the islands... of this world..."
He realised he had been right, this was indeed a keyblade, and there were others like it. His brother held one of the other two Kingdom Keys, and he knew that he'd need either his brother, or the one chosen by the remaining Kingdom Key to seal this keyhole. His one didn't have the ability.
He also knew the call would call no more. Everything it had been was now a part of him except the Kingdom Key itself.
Esan turned and left the Sanctuary, willing the door to reappear behind him so that none would know he had removed the treasured artefact that had lain there since the Ancestors had forged the Kingdom Keys.
The Kingdom Key vanished from his hand at a single thought. He knew it would call to the creatures he'd seen, the Heartless, as long as he had it summoned. If he dismissed it, then it still existed – but at the same time it was not present, and thus they would be incapable of using it as a homing beacon.
Esan knew he'd have to use it if the militia failed to stop the Heartless – which they would inevitably do.
The keyhole needed to be sealed before they reached it. He stood guard at the entrance to the corridor that lead to the Sanctuary's entrance, and focused his thoughts, projecting them out to his brother, not knowing if he'd ever receive them, if he'd hear them or if he'd even understand.
"Sora!" Esan called across the expanse between them. "I need you! You must bring your Kingdom Key to the Island of the Final Echo before it is too late!"
It seemed like an eternity later when a voice he didn't know called back, "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
"There isn't enough time to explain – you have to get here now!"
"I'm coming." Sora's voice answered. "Hold out as long as you can."
Esan nodded. His brother was coming. He had to hope he wouldn't get here too late.
